All-Star Cakes

Make the game-winning play for any sports fanís party! Learn the structure and decorating techniques you need to create amazing football and sports shoe cakes.

Create unbelievable sports cakes with master decorator Mike McCarey. Make an upright football cake using a gravity-defying structure. Learn to carve your football cake with confidence, cover it in leather-colored fondant, and add details like seams, airbrushed accents, stitching lines, laces and stripes for a game-ready look. Then, lace up an incredible sports shoe cake! Discover how to support suspended cake and carve the perfect shoe shape before you recreate all of the defining details: a textured fondant covering, a modeling chocolate sole, contrasting "leather" panels, stitching lines, laces and more. Give sports aficionados a winning celebration with unbelievable cakes that speak their language!

Lesson plan

13:59

Lesson 1. Getting Started

Master cake sculptor and artist Mike McCarey introduces you to the world of sculpted sports cakes as he previews the two cakes youíll make in this class. He also shows you how to build a cake stand strong enough to hold a giant football standing on end!

17:51

Lesson 2. Sculpting the Football Cake

Stack your cakes up high and then use Mikeís included template to carve the perfect oblong football. Carve along with Mike using templates, then freehand the finer details. Carve a bit too much? No worries; Mike will show you how to compensate when you apply your crumb coat.

12:16

Lesson 3. Covering the Football in Fondant

Learn the secrets behind making a super-smooth crumb coat and why itís so important for this project. Then, shift your focus to fondant as you master covering your cake one half at a time.

13:27

Lesson 4. Final Details on the Football

Your football is almost ready for kickoff as you explore how airbrushing can bring out details and hide flaws. Then add the finishing touches, stripes and laces before Mike discusses how you can use these techniques to make a variety of sports balls, and shares his formula for making the perfect soccer ball.

5:52

Lesson 5. Shoe Cake Support

Build a custom 3-D cake board that will support your cake and lift the shoeís toe right off the ground. You also learn how Mike created his templates so you can replicate this technique for any athletic shoe in your closet!

33:49

Lesson 6. Sculpting the Shoe Cake

Build this cake from the ground up as you first stack and sculpt the sole before shaping the rest of the shoe. Carve along with Mike as you first carve using templates before free-handing the finer details and applying the crumb coat.

25:02

Lesson 7. Draping & Decorating

Using modeling chocolate, add dimension to the sole, build up the shoe opening and form a tongue before you cover the entire cake in textured fondant.

21:32

Lesson 8. Leather & Laces

Take a giant step toward the completion of this cake as you learn to create multilayered laces, trim, stitching and embossed details.

9:12

Lesson 9. Finishing the Shoe Cake

Personalize your shoe for the guest of honor and add the final details. Then, Mike offers tips for modifying his design for a variety of shoe styles.

"Once again Mike has made a Craftsy class that shows tips, techniques and valuable information for anyone who wants to venture into creating amazing cake sculpture. All of Mike's classes on Craftsy are fantastic ... I highly recommend everyone in cake decorating take them you will learn so much!" - CraftyLaurieLittle Elm TX

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Lesson 1. Getting Started

Master cake sculptor and artist Mike McCarey introduces you to the world of sculpted sports cakes as he previews the two cakes youíll make in this class. He also shows you how to build a cake stand strong enough to hold a giant football standing on end!

17:51

Lesson 2. Sculpting the Football Cake

Stack your cakes up high and then use Mikeís included template to carve the perfect oblong football. Carve along with Mike using templates, then freehand the finer details. Carve a bit too much? No worries; Mike will show you how to compensate when you apply your crumb coat.

12:16

Lesson 3. Covering the Football in Fondant

Learn the secrets behind making a super-smooth crumb coat and why itís so important for this project. Then, shift your focus to fondant as you master covering your cake one half at a time.

13:27

Lesson 4. Final Details on the Football

Your football is almost ready for kickoff as you explore how airbrushing can bring out details and hide flaws. Then add the finishing touches, stripes and laces before Mike discusses how you can use these techniques to make a variety of sports balls, and shares his formula for making the perfect soccer ball.

5:52

Lesson 5. Shoe Cake Support

Build a custom 3-D cake board that will support your cake and lift the shoeís toe right off the ground. You also learn how Mike created his templates so you can replicate this technique for any athletic shoe in your closet!

33:49

Lesson 6. Sculpting the Shoe Cake

Build this cake from the ground up as you first stack and sculpt the sole before shaping the rest of the shoe. Carve along with Mike as you first carve using templates before free-handing the finer details and applying the crumb coat.

25:02

Lesson 7. Draping & Decorating

Using modeling chocolate, add dimension to the sole, build up the shoe opening and form a tongue before you cover the entire cake in textured fondant.

21:32

Lesson 8. Leather & Laces

Take a giant step toward the completion of this cake as you learn to create multilayered laces, trim, stitching and embossed details.

9:12

Lesson 9. Finishing the Shoe Cake

Personalize your shoe for the guest of honor and add the final details. Then, Mike offers tips for modifying his design for a variety of shoe styles.

The instructor

Mike McCarey, Instructor of All-Star Cakes

Mike is one of the world's most accomplished and innovative cake sculptors. He owns and operates Mike's Amazing Cakes in Redmond, Wash. When not teaching cake architecture and sculpting around the country, or appearing on The Food Network as competitor and judge, Mike works magic in cake. His clients have included Starbucks, Dustin Hoffman, Arnold Palmer, Julia Child, Microsoft and the Smithsonian.

Ratings & reviews

Class rating

(22 reviews)

Mike's Amazing!

by pattycake3673330 on February 1, 2015

Excellent ! Very detailed. Step by step. Love it! I love this Craftsy class. I'm not able to go take Mike's class, but w/ Craftsy I can :).

Excellent ! Very detailed. Step by step. Love it! I love this Craftsy class. I'm not able to go take Mike's class, but w/ Craftsy I can :).

Awesome Class!

by agosch15 on January 9, 2015

Thanks for encouraging me to try modeling chocolate and giving me the tools, ideas and techniques to make cakes for males. Can't wait to see what class you come out with next!

Thanks for encouraging me to try modeling chocolate and giving me the tools, ideas and techniques to make cakes for males. Can't wait to see what class you come out with next!

first class!

by ettnelvi1460154 on December 23, 2014

As always Mikes classes are brilliant, informative and great viewing. You can guarantee that you will be inspired at the end of his classes. This glass in brilliant, would of liked to have seen more alternatives in cake form rather that pictures.

As always Mikes classes are brilliant, informative and great viewing. You can guarantee that you will be inspired at the end of his classes. This glass in brilliant, would of liked to have seen more alternatives in cake form rather that pictures.

Mike will show you how to modify his football cake structure for use with round balls: baseballs, basketballs, soccer balls, you name it! All of the techniques Mike demonstrates for his football cake are applicable to other balls: building support, carving, covering with fondant, adding seams and texture and more.